Nov 5, 2012

Creamy goat cheese with crunchy sweet pecans and red beets topped with a
honey balsamic vinaigrette is like a symphony in your mouth. This salad will make you look like a culinary whiz!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday!

I still have no power due to Hurricane Sandy so I thought I would re-post an older recipe from the archives. If you are without power, this doesn't require an oven and would be perfect for Meatless Monday.

Made this salad for dinner last night. I actually cut the beets up into small pieces and roasted them in the oven for about an hour. This salad is great. I added some sliced roast chicken breast on top. It was a nice hearty salad for the fall. Delish!

Made this tonight and it was amazing! I have never cooked beets before - they are so much better fresh! The flavor combination is delicious! The only thing I altered was agave necter instead of honey. Definately will make this one over and over!

So, until I made this salad today, I had not tried beets since I was like 5 (I am now 38). Being a new vegetarian for health reasons, I thought I would give beets another go before deciding they were not for me. WHOAH! If all beet dishes are as beautiful and yummy as this one, I may be a forever beet convert. I roasted the beets with a light sprinkle of olive oil and a little salt. I think I am in love!

This salad is beautiful! However, I can't eat goat cheese due to a Danger Girl incident. I would run around town doing crazy stunts and one time I had to milk a goat. My hands smelled like goat teats for a week it was really gross. Then once I tried goat cheese I found that it tastes just like goat teats smell. Haven't been able to eat it. Yeah... kind of an awkward story.Is there any substitute I can use?

Sorry to hear you are still without power. This salad looks amazing. I love beets and they are so healthy. Some friends of mine told me about cooking them in the microwave and it's so easy, the peel just falls off with a little help.

Please take care and thanks for posting even when you are still dealing with "Sandy". Look after yourself first and the rest of us will be waiting when you return. Positive Chi from the north up in Canada. PS. I adore your blog and recipes, thank you so much for your efforts.

I adore beets! I think I will pick some up the next time I am out and pack this salad for lunch. I think I will roast the beets in a little olive oil, salt and pepper. This is how I usually prepare them and they always turn out fantastic! Thank you for the inspiration. :)

This recipe looks fabulous! I am going to buy some fresh beets and give this a try. I wish that my son would try some of the healthy recipes that I prepare. The only vegetable that he will eat,willingly, are baby carrots, cold peas out of pods, corn and potaotes. In other words, all the startcy ones! Thanks for your great blog. I hope that your power is restored soon and that you are keeping the faith :)

I LOVE beats and my personal favorite way to cook them is in the Crockpot! You get the flavor intensity of roasting with less electricity usage. I just rinse mine, trim off the greens (to be eaten later in a salad), wrap them individually in foil, and place them in the Crockpot. Cook on high for 2 to 4 hours until soft; since the heat is so low you don't really have to worry about burning them. The peels will just slip off and they're like wonderful edible gems!

I'm sorry, but I hate beets. Actually, I have no idea whether or not I like beets because I can't get past their smell of dirt.Regardless, I have not had a bad recipe from you yet (minus the garlic lovers pot roast because I have NO idea how to cook red meat...I try for the boyfriend :/ ) I'm glad that your family is safe and I'm hoping you get power back asap, as I know it can be difficult to live without. Thanks for posting and I promise to try, the operative word being try, beets and this gorgeous looking salad. Hang in there!

This salad looks wonderful! I cook my beets in my rice cooker. I just place the steamer insert in, add a little water(about a half inch) and place the rinsed beets on top then put the lid on. Twenty or so minutes later they are done! Thanks for your wonderful recipe, and I hope you get your power back on soon. Also, where can I find your apricot banana pastry?

This salad is AWESOME! My only previous beet experiences were as a child... I had no idea this would be so yummy. We make this salad all the time now with some grilled chicken on the side for extra protein. This one is my second fave ever, second only to your roasted butternut squash salad ;)

I have been a fan of your recipes for a while now. I have never been a fan of beets, but recently a coworker of mine told me about the ones they sell in trader joes. I tryed them they are good. I can't wait to try this recipe, my only concern is can you use a differnt cheese besides goat cheese. I don't like the texture or taste.

Gina, I hope you and your family get your power on soon and "weather" this nor'easter well. I am so impressed that you're still posting with the challenges you're facing - keep up the good work. I get a salad similar to this at the Cheesecake Factory and love it, can't wait to try making it at home!

I don't know why people are saying beets taste like dirt. I guess most of the beets I have eaten were either canned, or prepared in a restaurant. Canned beets are an easy alternative, no dirt taste included, and they're stocked in any grocery store. Soooo delicious!

I brought this to Thanksgiving and boy was it a hit! Thanks for sharing. I couldn't find glazed pecans at my local grocer so I did them myself. BTW, I also brought the Phyllo Fruit Tart & the Pumpkin Dip, all from here. Everything was AMAZING and people appreciated the effort of something not so heavy!

This salad was awesome and so easy to prepare. I will definitely be making this salad again, especially when I have dinner guests. I shared this recipe in my most recent weekly meal plan on my blog rainbowdelicious.com. Thank you!